


Winter Warmth

by Chie (Chierafied)



Category: Bleach
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, F/M, Ficlet, Kotatsu, POV Kurosaki Ichigo, Prompt Fic, Winter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-16 19:07:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28961439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chierafied/pseuds/Chie
Summary: Reduced into a shivering mess, Ichigo digs out the kotatsu.
Relationships: Kuchiki Rukia/Kurosaki Ichigo
Comments: 2
Kudos: 27





	Winter Warmth

The winter had been a mild one – until mid-December.

Then, a cold front rolled in without a warning, causing the temperatures to plummet overnight.

Rukia was not bothered in the least; she actually enjoyed the cold.

But Ichigo instantly became a shivering mess.

Thankfully, when Ichigo had moved out of his family home to live with Rukia, his father and sisters had given him the best of presents: a kotatsu.

Ichigo might disagree with his old man on a variety of topics, but they both shared the firm belief that kotatsu was the heart of a home.

Ichigo set the kotatsu up in the spare room. When he and Rukia had been looking for apartments, Rukia had really wanted a place that would have a Japanese-style room.

Every now and then, she preferred to sleep on a futon.

Ichigo liked to joke that she’d been born in the wrong century.

Still, he was glad of his girlfriend’s traditionalist mindset now, as he settled onto the tatami matting, his legs folded under the table and the thick quilt. 

The electric heater did its job. 

Ichigo stopped shivering, sighing in relief at the blissful warmth.

He soaked in it, revelled in his poor toes finally being all nice and toasty. 

He’d built himself a proper nest and was wholly prepared to weather the whole winter here. He had comic books, a cup of steaming tea set on the table. His phone and the phone charger close at hand.

He had brought in extra pillows, had a second blanket draped across his shoulders.

Ichigo was all cosied up and warmer than he’d been all month. 

And perhaps that was why his eyes refused to stay open while he tried to read his comic book.

Something small and ice-cold pressed into Ichigo’s shin, jerking him awake.

He scrambled to sit up, soft laughter ringing in his ears.

Across the table, Rukia was grinning at him. Her elbows were planted on the table, her chin resting at the heels of her palms.

Her cheeks were rosy, as clear a testament as those icicles that must’ve been her toes that she’d only just got in from the cold. 

Ichigo’s heart tumbled in his chest.

She took his breath away.

Even when she was being a brat.

“Good morning, sleepyhead,” she said.

“Hey. How was work?”

“The usual,” she shrugged. “I see you’ve been busy here at home.”

“I got cold,” he replied, scratching his neck.

Rukia’s smile widened. Her violet eyes darkened with a telltale gleam.

“Need help warming up?”

Ichigo’s eyebrows rose. The corners of his lips curved.

“Definitely. I feel a chill coming on.”

“Well, now. We can’t have that, can we.”

It only took a moment for Rukia to get up, walk around the kotatsu and settle into Ichigo’s lap.

She nuzzled her nose against his, her arms loosely wrapped around his neck, her fingers staying to play with his hair. 

Ichigo let his forehead fall to rest against hers, held her close, his hand splayed on the small of her back.

“Welcome home,” he murmured against her lips.


End file.
